OUTDOORS: Now is the time for winter boat maintenance

By Ed Wall, Special to the Sun Journal

Published: Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 04:54 PM.

- Clean battery terminals. If a boat is going to be sitting for a month or more, it’s a good idea to disconnect the battery terminals so a minor electrical drain doesn’t turn into a major problem later. Use a wire brush to clean the terminals and cable ends, spray both with a protective lubricant and store the battery inside until it’s needed again.

- Check filters. If a water separator filter does not have a clear bowl that allows you to see what’s in it, this is a good time to replace it. The same is true for an in-line fuel filter. Filters generally cost a few dollars and having good ones is worth millions.

- Look at your propeller. This is a no-brainer. Check it to see if there are any serious dings or cracks. Props can be reconditioned for a fraction of the cost of new ones. Also check to make sure there is no fishing line wrapped around the shaft in front of the prop where it can damage washers.

- Check belts and hoses. On stern drives/inboard engines, look at and handle belts and hoses that may be cracking or fraying. Replace any that are suspect and make sure you have spares on board.

February is an “off” month for many outdoorsmen. The hunting season for most species has ended. Small game hunters can still get out and about, but that’ll last only until the end of this month and then hunters have to wait until the middle of April for turkey season to open. Shad fishing will commence soon but right now the pickings are pretty slim for anglers unless they’re looking for the occasional striped bass or a wayward speckled trout.

This is a perfect time of year for something else, however – boat maintenance. Since last spring, fishermen have been involved in angling for a multitude of species. In many cases TLC for their boats has been a second thought. If their motors started in the morning and got them back to the dock in the evening, life was good. But, as with many things in life, there’s always a time to “pay the piper” and, with a boat, it can come at the most inopportune time, like when you’re two miles off Cape Lookout, trolling for Spanish mackerel or out on the Neuse River at 10 p.m., trying to ambush a big red drum.

The key to making sure things work the way they’re supposed to and you don’t end up in one of those “what the %*&#” situations is to do a little boat maintenance now. Some of the things you can do to make sure you’re prepared for spring are:

- Change lower unit grease. This is something that should be done every season. Just remove the upper and lower screws in the lower unit and let the used lubricant drain out. Then, insert good quality grease in the lower hole until a little comes out the top. Without removing the grease container, put the screw back in the top hole and then close off the lower one.

- Grease all zerk fittings on the motor. These apply lubricant to the motor’s tilt mechanism, throttle cable and other moving points. Use a marine lubricant, apply it until a little oozes out around the moving parts and then wipe off the excess.

- Change spark plugs. Some folks pull plugs, check them out and replace them if they look clean. Others take the route of least resistance and simply replace the plugs with new ones. That is a little money well spent.

- Check all electrical connections. Any green or white residue on a wire or connector indicates the possibility of reduced conductivity. It’s a lot easier to take it off, sand off any corrosion and coat it with a dielectric lubricant now than it will be to try and fix it when you’re twelve miles offshore next summer. While you’re at it, make sure your bow and stern lights are working like they should.

- Clean battery terminals. If a boat is going to be sitting for a month or more, it’s a good idea to disconnect the battery terminals so a minor electrical drain doesn’t turn into a major problem later. Use a wire brush to clean the terminals and cable ends, spray both with a protective lubricant and store the battery inside until it’s needed again.

- Check filters. If a water separator filter does not have a clear bowl that allows you to see what’s in it, this is a good time to replace it. The same is true for an in-line fuel filter. Filters generally cost a few dollars and having good ones is worth millions.

- Look at your propeller. This is a no-brainer. Check it to see if there are any serious dings or cracks. Props can be reconditioned for a fraction of the cost of new ones. Also check to make sure there is no fishing line wrapped around the shaft in front of the prop where it can damage washers.

- Check belts and hoses. On stern drives/inboard engines, look at and handle belts and hoses that may be cracking or fraying. Replace any that are suspect and make sure you have spares on board.

- Make sure bilge pumps are working. Clogged ports and corroded connections are just a couple of things that can cause a boat’s bilge pump to fail at a critical time. Pour enough water into the hull to cause it to engage. If it doesn’t, find out why not.

- Inspect fuel lines. A tiny, almost-imperceptible hole in a fuel line can make it impossible to maintain a flow of fuel to a boat motor. Ethanol in fuel deteriorates lines and cause problems that may not be obvious. The primer bulb on a fuel line should be pliable and, once it’s squeezed a few times, it should remain full.

- Check steering and throttle cables. The backyard, not the boat ramp, is the place to find out that corrosion has frozen up a vital cable and it needs to be replaced. I once had a steering cable break while going down the intracoastal waterway before daylight.

Luckily I had a friend with me and we were able to get to safe harbor with him turning the motor by hand while I worked the throttle and gave hand signals. It wasn’t something I would want to do again.

- Check seacocks/through-hulls. If your boat is equipped with fittings that allow water to flow in or out, make sure they are working like they’re supposed to. Don’t wait and find out they’re not when you’re in the Gulf Stream.

- Inspect exhaust manifolds. It’s been said that, if you have ten years on an inboard motor and haven’t replaced exhaust manifolds, you’re operating on borrowed time. Salt or brackish water are tough on those important parts. If you don’t feel competent to replace them, take the boat to your regular repairman.

- Determine if your boat motor is urinating. Water circulating through an outboard motor is critical to keeping it cool. While it’s in the water or with a water hose attached, crank it and make sure water is coming out the “pee hole” in a steady stream. If it’s not, it may be because the hole is plugged and can be cleaned out with a paper clip. If that doesn’t do the trick, the problem may be a water pump impeller that is not doing its job because it’s “set” or broken. Either fix it yourself or take to a repairman.

The best friend a boat owner can have is a qualified repairman that he trusts. Such an individual can fix most problems and, more important, head off some before they occur. With the first warm weekend of spring, those folks become as popular as a pretty girl at senior prom. Wise boaters will seek out their services well before then – maybe during the cold, dreary days of mid-winter.

Calendar

Feb. 8-10 – The East Carolina Wildlife Arts Festival and North Carolina Decoy Carving Championships will be held in downtown Washington, NC and the surrounding area. Dock Dogs competition and a preview reception for sponsors and invited guests will kick things off on Feb. 8. The festival will open to the public at 9 a.m. on Feb. 9 and will close at 5 p.m. Sunday hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. More details can be secured by phone at 800-999-3857 ext. 2 or 3, or online at www.ecwguild.com/ecw-arts-festival.

Feb. 12 – The Twin Rivers Paddle Club will hold their regular monthly meeting in the Commissioners’ Room of the Craven County Administration building on Craven St. in New Bern beginning at 7 p.m. More information is available online at www.twinriverspaddleclub.org.

Feb. 17 – The Great Swamp Archers will host a 3-D archery tournament at their range off Hwy. 17 north of New Bern from 12 noon till 2 p.m. For directions or details, contact Terry Lewis at 252-638-2349.

Mar. 1-3 – The 33rd annual Dixie Deer Classic will be held at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, NC from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The event will feature the N.C. State Turkey Calling Championship, a 3-D archery tournament, scoring and display of the best trophy deer from last season, educational exhibits and courses, celebrity sportsmen seminars and much more.

Mar. 9 – The first annual Greenville Saltwater Fishing School will be held at Overton’s Retail Store on Red Banks Rd. in Greenville. Between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. there will be six seminar sessions on a variety of topics, including “Old” Drum Fishing, advanced surf fishing techniques, summertime dolphin and nearshore live baiting. Tickets ($90 by Mar. 1) include all sessions, a tee shirt, tackle samples, door prizes, breakfast and lunch and a goodie bag. For tickets or information, phone 910-452-6378 or go online to www.FishermansPost.com and click on the “Fishing Schools” link.